A new vaccine that has the potential to treat Parkinson's disease is entering a Phase I clinical trial in Vienna. The first-of-its-kind vaccine, PD01A, aims to ramp up an immune response to the alpha-Synuclein (alpha-syn) protein, which is involved in the onset and progression of Parkinson's. Austrian biotech AFFiRiS is testing the vaccine with support from the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

"Worldwide, for the first time immunotherapy is applied for the treatment of Parkinson's," AFFiRiS CEO Walter Schmidt said in a statement. "PD01A is the first medication worldwide aiming for clinical efficacy by modulating the metabolic pathway of alpha-syn."